Foil for door handles



Dec. 1l, 1951 H. M. HILGER FOIL FOR DOOR HANDLES Filed Jan. 8, 1947 Patented Dec. 1l, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,578,547 Fon, Fon Doon HANnLEs Henry M. Hilger, Fort Wayne, Ind.

Application January 8, 1947, Serial No. 720,712

18 Claims.

This invention relates to foils adapted for application to door handles to prevent unauthorized opening' of a door, such as the door of an automobile. More especially, it relates to a hood or shield which is applied to the inside door handles of -an automobile to prevent the operation of the handle from within the car.

It is well known that many accidents have occurred due to the fact that a car door has been opened while the Vehicle is in motion. This has been especially true in the case of children who are riding alone in the rear seat of a fourdoor car. The door latches ordinarily provided are operable at will from the inside of the car and, consequently, the doors cannot be locked to insure the safety of children who are riding in the vehicle. The same problem also ariseseven where the child, or children, are riding in front with the driver, who, being occupied with driving, cannot devote a great deal of attention to the passengers beside him.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a foil which will prevent the opening of va door from the inside.

Another object of the invention is to provide a foil which can be readily attached or detached.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a foil which will be easy and cheap to manufacture.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a foil which can be conveniently carried in the car when it is not in use.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a foil of the type described which can be readily applied to and detached from the door with a coin, screwdriver, knife blade or 'other convenient tool.

It is a further object of the invention to'provide a foil which will t over any trim strips or other obstructions adjacent the door handle.

These and other objects will become 'apparent from a study of this specication and the drawings which are attached hereto and made a part hereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional view of the foil in place on the handle of a door and showing the means for clamping it in place.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1 showing the clamping member in detail.

' Figure 3 is a section taken on the line 3 3 of Figure 1 showing the clamping screw and guide pin.

Figure 4 is a view taken from y Figure l showing themethod of installingythe socket member. y

the bottom of.,

Referring now to Figures 1 and 2, it will be seen that the numeral I refers to a foil or shield which is of oblate hemispheroid form which is provided with inwardly directed ears or tangs 3 at its periphery. A tube 5 of rubber'or other resilient material is seated upon the tangs and rests against the inner periphery of the foil. It is also fixed to the foil by rivets 1, which are accessible through holes 9 formed in the hose, or it may be cemented, vulcanized or otherwise xed in place.

The foil is preferably larger in diameter than the length of the handle, and deep, so that the entire -handle will be enclosed by it.

An opening II is formed in the crown por tion of the foil, preferably to one side of the center, and a socket member I3 is provided with a boss I5 which projects through the opening and is swedged over to hold it in place in the foil. The socket member is provided with a circular recess I1 which is coaxial with but larger4 than the hole I9 which passes through theboss I I.

A screw 20 has a flange 2| which rests in the socket I1. The wall of the socket is longer than the flange and is swedged over the ange to hold the screw against axial motion while permitting rotary motion thereof. The outer end of the screw projects through the hole I 9 and beyond the end of the boss and is provided with a slot 23 which will receive a screwdriver or coin.

The socket member is provided with an ear 25 which is perforated parallel to the axis of the screw and receives a pin 21 which extends parallel to the screw.

A hook member 29 has a shank 3I which is provided with a threaded hole 33 disposed atl right angles tothe hook 35 and is adapted to receive the screw 20. A lug 31 extends to one side ofthe shank and is provided with a hole 39 which is in alignment with pin 21 so as tol be guided thereon.

Operation The foil is applied to a door handle, such asv against tightly enough .to prevent substantial sliding or rotation of the foil. If anyftriin or other obstacle is in the path of the .rubberi member,

the latter will be compressed to a greater extent in such regions and will enfold the obstacle. It also prevents any scratching of finish, upholstery, etc.

The pin 2l working in the hole 3S will prevent the hook member from turning with the screw. The socket Il prevents the screw from moving axially with respect to the foil so that the slot 23 will always be held in position to be engaged by a coin or a tool.

The foil is preferably plated and polished so that it does not detract from the appearance of the car while serving the function of preventing the operation of the door handle.

It will also be noted that the foil is smooth and rounded so that there will not be danger of harming a person who may come into contact with it and, further, to eliminate any possible handheld which might enable a person to work the handle to the door opening position.

It Will thus be seen that I have provided a simple yet effective foil for preventing the opening of a door of a car from the inside. The device can, of course, be applied to the exterior handle of a door but this is usually unnecessary because these handles can be locked against operation from the inside of the car.

It is obvious that various changes may be made in the form, structure and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention. Accordingly, applicant does not desire to be limited to the specific embodiment disclosed herein primarily for purposes of illustration; but instead, he desires protection falling fairly within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim to be new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a foil for a door handle, the combination of a hollow shield adapted to enclose the handle and having an open side, and means for holding the shield on the handle with the open side in strong frictional contact with the door to prevent operation of the handle.

2. In a foil for a door handle, the combination of a hollow shield adapted to enclose the handle and having an open side, means for holding the shield on the handle with the open side against the door, and a resilient, compressible member on the periphery oi said shield adjacent the door and adapted to be compressed therebetween.

3. In a foil for a door handle, the combination of a dished shield adapted to enclose the handle from one side, and a member movably mounted on the shield, means for moving said member into and out of the shield, said member being adapted for engagement with the door handle to draw the periphery of the shield into engagement with the door as it is moved into said shield.

4. In a foil for a door handle, the combination of a dished shield open on one side and adapted to enclose the handle, a driving member mounted for rotation on the shield, a hook member mounted on said driving member and adapted to be moved toward and from the handle upon rotation of the driving member, to draw said shield toward or release it from contact with the door.

5. In a foil for a door handle, the combination of a dished shield open on one side and adapted to enclose the handle, a hook mounted on the shield and adapted to engage the handle, and means for drawing said hook toward the shield and said shield toward the door.

6. In a foil for a door handle, the combination of a dished shield open on one side and adapted to enclose the handle, a hook mounted on the shield and adapted to engage the handle, means for drawing said hook toward the shield and said shield toward the door, and compressible means disposed on the periphery of the shield for contact with said door.

7. In a foil for a door handle, the combination of a dished shield open on one side and adapted to enclose the handle, a hook mounted on the shield and adapted to engage the handle, and a screw on said shield operatively associated with said hook for drawing said shield toward the door.

8. In a foil for a door handle, the combination of a dished shield open on one side and adapted to enclose the handle, a hook mounted on the shield and adapted to engage the handle, a screw on said shield operatively associated with said hook for drawing said shield toward the door, and means for preventing the rotation of said hook with said screw.

9. Ina foil for a door handle, the combination of a dished shield open on one side and adapted to enclose the handle, a screw on said shield, a hook threadedly mounted upon said screw, a pin fixed to the shield, and an opening in said hook adapted to receive the pin.

10. In a foil for a door handle, the combination of a dished shield open on one side and adapted to enclose the handle, a socket member mounted on the shield, a screw rotatably mounted in said socket, and a hook threadedly mounted on said screw.

1l. In a foil for a door handle, the combination of a dished shield open on one side and adapted to enclose the handle, a socket member mounted on the shield, a screw rotatably mounted in said socket, a hook threadedly mounted on said screw, a pin set in said socket, and an opening in said hook for the reception of the pin.

l2. In a foil for a door handle, the combina tion of a dished shield open on one side and adapted to enclose the handle, a socket member mounted on the shield, a screw rotatably mounted in said socket, a hook threadedly mounted on said screw, and guide means on said socket and hook for preventing relative rotation thereof.

13. In a foil for a door handle, the combination of a dished shield open on one side and adapted to enclose the handle, a socket member mounted on the shield, a socket in said member, a screw having a iiange fitting said socket, and a hook thleadedly mounted on said screw.

14. In a foil for a door handle, the combination of a dished shield open on one side and adapted to enclose the handle, a socket member mounted on the shield, a socket in said member, a screw having a ange fitting said socket, means for holding said flange in the socket, and a hook threadedly mounted on said screw.

15. In a foil for a door handle, the combinationy of a dished shield open on one side and adapted to enclose the handle, a socket member mounted on the shield, a socket in said member, a screw having a ange fitting said socket, a hook threadedly mounted on said screw, and means for preventing said hook from rotating with the screw.

16. In a foil for a door handle, the combination of a dished shield open on one side and adapted to enclose the handle, a socket member mounted on the shield, a socket in said member,

a screw having a nange fitting said socket, a'A

hook threadedly mounted on said screw, and means for preventing said hook from rotating s with the screw, comprising a guide xed to the socket and engaging said hook.

17. In a foil for a door handle, the combination of a dished shield open on one side and adapted to'enclose the handle, a socket member mounted on the shield, a screw rotatably mounted in said socket, and a hook threadedly mounted on said screw, said screw extending through said socket member for operation from the exterior of the shield.

18. In a foil for a door handle, the combination of a dished shield open on one side and adapted to enclose the handle, a socket member mounted on the shield, a screw rotatably mounted in said socket, and a hook threadedly mounted on said screw, said screw extending through the socket member and having a recess for operation by a tool inserted from the exterior of the shield.

HENRY M. HILGER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS l0 Number Name Date 209,610 Dickinson Nov. 5, 1878 504,121 Cheesman Aug. 29, 1893 732,197 Lietz June 30, 1903 955,237 Wescott et al. Apr. 19, 1910 15 1,168,066 Girardot Jan. 11, 1916 1,737,730 Reidhaar Dec. 3, 1929 2,092,828 Bone Sept. 14, 1937 

